Title: Storm’s Heart
Author: Thea Harrison
Release Date: August 2nd, 2011
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
*If you have not read Dragon Bound this may contain spoilers*
Able to wield thunder and lightning, wyr sentinel Tiago Black Eagle has ruled the skies for centuries. His massive build and thunderous power make him one of the wyr’s best weapons. And he’s the one sent to protect Tricks, heir to the Dark Fae throne, when she’s almost assassinated in Chicago. Soon Tiago and Tricks will fall prey to the stormy hunger that engulfs them-a passion that will shake the very foundation of all the worlds.
Summary from Goodreads.com
My Review: If you have followed my blog at all you would know that I raved about Thea’s first book, Dragon Bound (review here) earlier this year. When I received her second book, Storm’s Heart, I was hoping it would live up to its predecessor and boy did it ever. Thea has knocked it out of the park again and given us another amazing, tantalizing paranormal romance.
In Storm’s Heart we focus on Tricks, aka Niniane and Tiago. Niniane worked as the public relations side of Dragos companies for a long time. She was also under their protection from her murderous uncle Urian. In Dragon Bound, Urian was the king of the Dark Fae that briefly held Dragos and Pia captive. He was later killed by Dragos himself after he threatened Pia. Now that he is gone, Niniane is returning to the world of the Dark Fae to take her place as their queen. Before she even leaves Chicago to head home though, her cousin attempts to assassinate her and she goes into hiding. Tiago is sent to find her and protect her from being hurt again.
When we first saw Niniane in Dragon Bound she was a spunky, girly girl who loved to joke around and have a great time. She has lost some of that spark unfortunately due to recent events, but Tiago slowly helps her to realize she is much stronger than she first thought. Niniane has still retained most of her sense humor and had me laughing out loud at many points during the book. Her laughter kept her sane during times of duress and helped her cope through tough situations. Tiago on the other hand is a fierce, extremely blunt, hot alpha male. He is the military front for Dragos and because of this he barks out commands and expects obedience from everyone he meets. The only person this does not seem to work on is Niniane. The petite faerie works her way under his skin so quickly he does not even have time to try and fight her off. He is under her spell so fast and the chemistry between them is scorching hot!
While Tiago and Niniane are constantly interrupted and do not get many spare moments to themselves, their relationship develops naturally for the world they are in. Thea does not write unnecessary drama between them just to create tension in the story. The characters are stubborn, but quickly learn to talk out their issues and work through their problems together. They balance each other well, Niniane needs to put her trust in someone to not leave her and be there to protect her, while Tiago needs someone to keep him on his toes and cherish him at the same time. The two have spent time together while both working for Dragos, but it is not until the events in Storm’s Heart that they understand how much they really need one another.
As Storm’s Heart progresses it becomes effortless to fall in step with Niniane and Tiago because Thea’s characters that are easy to connect to. The characters have been fully developed and you take their emotional journeys right along with them. Even when secondary characters are injured I was affected. The sincerity of the characters is what makes them so real and it is what will keep you coming back to these books repeatedly. Thea is a master of writing characters who will grab onto your heart and pull you into their lives until you won’t want to let go.
As for the mythology, it continues to remain fascinating and learning the origin of Tiago was another highlight of the book. From Dragon Bound, we know that Dragos has many members of the Elder Races that work for him and each is as mysterious as the next. We have had brief glimpses of them before, but the origins of each continue to remain unknown. As each book is written the beginnings of another race are revealed and the world of the Elder Races becomes clearer to us.
One of the races we learn more about is the Vampyre’s. We meet their queen Carling, in Storm’s Heart and her presence becomes essential late into the book. I do not want to reveal too much about her now because discovering it as you read will be more enjoyable, but I can already sense we are not getting her full story and I am anticipating learning more about her in the future. She and Rune seem to be noticing one another and plot points for their book, Serpent’s Kiss are already being foreshadowed and I cannot wait see what awaits them.
Overall, Thea has created another awe-inspiring adventure in Storm’s Heart. Tiago is a formidable Wyr whose intense protection over Niniane leaves both of them in serious danger of losing their hearts to each other, despite the odds against them. The characters are alluring, the mythology is intoxicating and you will quickly find yourself lost in the emotional and physical turmoil that Tiago and Niniane find themselves in. Thea continues to write a mind-blowing paranormal romance series that you will not want to miss!
FTC: I received this book from the publisher. (Thank you!)
